Christopher Neuner's most recent position saw him exercise a dual function as Head of Reception and Deputy General Manager at the IntercityHotel Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof Süd, which boasts 414 rooms and is the largest hotel operated by the brand. Mr. Neuner originally trained as a hotel specialist at the Steigenberger Hotel Frankfurt-Langen, where his career at Deutsche Hospitality began in 2003.
Following a stint of more than three years as General Manager of the IntercityHotel Nuremberg, Stefan Marczinkowski will officially take up the reins at the IntercityHotel Darmstadt with effect from 1 March 2021 after having already led the hotel on an interim basis since September 2020.
STR's preliminary January 2021 data for Berlin hotels showed slightly higher performance levels compared with the previous month but at overall low levels.
The hospitality professional, who has a long track of working worldwide from UEA to Switzerland in different roles within the industry, reservations to sales, marketing and most recently housekeeping management roles for luxury brands, has been appointed as Chapter Leader Hamburg at WHTT. Victoria Knauer - Hansen's appointment to WHTT is further the organisation's mission to increase the success and engagement in the workplace for women and other underrepresented groups, and to enable companies to attract, develop and retain potential diverse talent, nurtured by a powerful community. WHTT believes that by inspiring communities to enter the industry and organizations to leverage and retain in the sector, will create more diverse and inclusive leadership. Victoria will take WHTT's global mission to the next level by opening a new local Chapter from Hamburg.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced an agreement with Signo Hospitality (Signo) to develop 10 new hotels in Germany over the next five years. The first two properties to open under the agreement will be Hilton Garden Inn Herne and Hampton by Hilton Bottrop. Both hotels will be the first from Hilton in their respective cities, which sit in Germany's industrial centre in the Ruhr valley.
Aparthotels Adagio along with project developer Bülow AG, has announced the signing of a contract for a new aparthotel in Stuttgart, Germany. Situated in the innovative Neckarpark, directly next to the Daimler and Mercedes Benz headquarters, the aparthotel is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2024.
Wines of the very highest quality will soon be available after Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts marked its 90th anniversary by announcing the conclusion of a cooperation agreement with Othegraven Winery. Othegraven is a traditional wine-growing estate on the River Saar, which is owned by Günther Jauch, a leading German TV personality. An exclusive edition of the company's Riesling has been included on the wine menus of Steigenberger Hotel Restaurants in Germany since September. Othegraven's offerings are set to be expanded next year, when a 2020 jubilee vintage and a Steigenberger Special Edition will both be added. The latter will be available in selected hotels.
In order to give executives from the individual and chain hotel industry insights into the hotel tech market, the first German Hotel Technology Report was published by Hotelhero in partnership with the German Hotel Association (IHA) and in cooperation with HSMA Deutschland e.V. and techtalk.travel. This report underlines the importance for hotels to rely on a strong digital strategy in order to survive in the market even after the lockdown.
To give hotel executives an insight into the hotel tech market, the first report about the German Hotel Technology Landscape was published today by Hotelhero in partnership with the Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA) and in cooperation with HSMA Deutschland e.V. and techtalk.travel. This report underlines the importance for hotels to rely on a strong digital strategy in order to succeed in the market after the lockdown. At the same time, 80% of the surveyed managers in the hotel industry still complain about fundamental problems with regard to interfaces, budgets and data standardisation.
From 9 to 12 March the who's who of the global B2B travel industry will meet at ITB Berlin NOW - A new virtual platform featuring the main elements: networking, news, business and content - Early Bird rates are available for exhibitors until 15 January - Trade visitor tickets cost 99 euros - The parallel ITB Berlin Virtual Convention will discuss the latest industry challenges
Jens Böcker was previously active for OTA Insight managing Central and Eastern Europe. Jens also worked at Booking.com where he led a team managing hotel chains in the German market, he has also led Revenue Management across a number of global chain hotels including Intercontinental Hotel Berlin and the Hyatt Hotels in Central Europe. With his experience in both sectors of the industry he can provide valuable insight on how to win in a Revenue Management based environment.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced the opening of the newest luxury boutique hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany, The Wellem, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand. With 102 studios and suites, the hotel was previously operated under the Hyatt House brand and is located in the heart of the historic Andreas Quarter, just a few minutes walking distance from the famous shopping boulevard, Königsallee, and the Rhine river. The opening marks the first property under The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand in German-speaking markets and the seventh property to join the independent collection brand in Europe.
The designated Members of the Executive Board of Steigenberger Hotels AG/Deutsche Hospitality - CEO Marcus Bernhardt and CFO Dr. Ulrich Johannwille - assumed responsibility for operational management at the hotel group with effect from 1 November 2020. This new leadership pairing creates a wealth of international experience at the helm of Steigenberger Hotels AG, which brings together five separate hotel brands under the umbrella brand of Deutsche Hospitality.
Deutsche Hospitality and ECE have opened the new Steigenberger Airport Hotel on the same date that the Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) went operational. Together with BER boss Engelbert Lütke Daldrup and accompanied by a welcoming address by Brandenburg's Minister of Economics Jörg Steinbach, Claus-Dieter Jandel, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer of Steigenberger Hotels AG, and Andreas Mattner, Managing Director of ECE Development, symbolically cut the ribbon today to mark the opening of the new building.
Next year the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show® will take place as an entirely virtual event. This decision was taken by Messe Berlin after weighing all the circumstances. ITB Berlin 2021 and the accompanying ITB Berlin Convention will be open to trade visitors only. The trade visitor days will take place from 9 to 12 March 2021, adding an extra day to the event.
The pandemic has shaken the hotel industry like no other. Hoteliers had to shut down for months, some of them are still closed. They are struggling with a loss of income and short-time work. Starting from 07.10.2020, new accommodation bans were introduced, causing uncertainty, plummeting revenue, and concerns for both hoteliers and travelers. At the beginning of the pandemic, HotelFriend has repeatedly called for specific solutions for the industry e.g. a digital package for workflow enhancement and compliance with hygiene measures in hospitality. It required more tangible actions and federal funding to support people working in the hotel industry.
Sascha Wagner is to become General Manager of the new IntercityHotel in Wiesbaden. He will take up his post on 20 November and will initially be in charge of the pre-opening phase before going on to assume full responsibility as Director. Wiesbaden is located at the heart of the Rhine-Main Region and is the capital of the State of Hessen. The new 216-room hotel is being created in conjunction with the project development company GBI AG. 37-year old Mr. Wagner has worked for Deutsche Hospitality for many years and is a hotelier who will bring a wealth of experience to the role. Until the end of the year, he will also lend the company further support by continuing in his present function of Director of Processes and Systems in the Group Controlling Department.
Following a global search, TFE (Toga Far East) Hotels has announced the appointment of Simon Betty to the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer, Adina Europe. The appointment comes as the Australian-owned Adina Hotels brand continues its European expansion with eight new hotel openings already confirmed for the next three years. These include openings in new markets: Vienna in Austria and Geneva in Switzerland the first time. TFE Hotels Chief Executive Officer, Antony Ritch, said TFE had significant growth ambitions for Adina Hotels, with plans for more than 50 hotels across Europe, including new markets and new countries. Simon Betty is currently Managing Director of City Quarters and Developments for UK-based commercial property developer, Hammerson - brought extensive experience in property development, expertise in large investment financial restructuring, and solid relationships across the investment and finance sectors to the table. As the Adina Europe Leadership Team, Matthias Niemeyer would continue to spearhead growth as the Director of Development, Europe and Georgios Ganitis would continue to oversee the European hotel operations as Director of Operations - Europe, both reporting to Betty, and working alongside himself and Sydney-based Group Chief Operating Officer, Chris Sedgwick. TFE (Toga Far East) Hotels Chairman, Allan Vidor, echoed Ritch’s sentiments, saying that with the growth opportunities in the pipeline and plans to introduce a new brand into Europe, the Board and TFE Hotels’ CEO Antony Ritch had sought a Chief Executive Officer for Adina Europe to drive growth, further develop the strong team and guest service culture, and bring together new strategic and entrepreneurial opportunities for the European business. Betty will relocate from Dublin to Berlin and is expected to start his new role in early 2021.
Thomas Swieca takes over the position of General Manager at the Steigenberger Inselhotel Konstanz on 15 October.
Peter Martin takes over as General Manager at the Steigenberger Hotel Bad Neuenahr on 21 October.